Lloyd's Botanical Gardens, Darjeeling

Lloyd Botanical Garden is situated in Darjeeling district of West Bengal and was founded in the year 1878. This garden is located just below the market place in Darjeeling. Courteous Mr. William Lloyd offered his piece of land to the Government of Darjeeling to form a Botanical Garden. The land given by Mr. William Lloyd was thus converted into a Botanical Garden - today known as Lloyds Botanical Garden. Situated at an elevation of 6000ft, Lloyds Botanical Garden is a sub - branch of the Indian Botanical Garden. The Garden was initiated under the guidance of Dr. T. Anderson as a branch establishment of the Royal Botanical Garden, Calcutta. The yard mainly maintains various plants types that belong indigenous to Darjeeling Himalayan area, Sikkim and other nearby areas. Not only these, it also maintains several unique vegetation varieties too. The Orchid selection of this botanical yard is also amazing. While the cactus and moist area of vegetation types a individual sunroom in the yard. This different area shows near about 150 flower types.

At Lloyds Botanical Garden you will find a dazzling display of colours and velvety textures of the Orchids belonging to the Himalayan Mountains' Singhalila Ridge of West Bengal which has received rave reviews from the thousands who visit this Greenhouse each year. More than 2490 plants are on display in the Orchidarium. Shade-tolerant with low need for fertilizers, the colour-burst bushes of Azaleas, Gladioli, Rhododendrons, Lilies, Magnolias and Geraniums of the Northern Temperate Hemisphere are a feast to the eyes - among others. Arisaema - better known as a 'cobra lily' is a rare and catchy display of some of the Asiatic species in the Garden. The mountainous woody plant - Cotoneaster which bears bunches of red berries and is native to Ireland and the UK, is seen in abundance in the Garden.

There is also a Rock Garden located here at Lloyds Botanical garden known as Sir John Anderson Garden. Many Alpine and Sub Alpine plants grow in this Rock Garden. These are rare plants as they are not found anywhere else. The Darjeeling Botanical Garden preserves several species of bamboo, oak, magnolia, arisaema, cotoneaster, wild geranium, and rhododendron - forest native plants of the Darjeeling Himalayan hill region, Sikkim region, and other neighbouring regions. There is a separate conservatory for cactus and some succulent species of plants as well as about 150 floral species. The unique and spectacular selection of unusual flower types makes this botanical yard of Darjeeling a hot favorite among both the visitors as well as local people. The herbarium area of the yard shows some unusual botanical types. Another unique thing here are the two living fossil trees that have been brought from China. You will see a tree Ginko Biloba of pre-historical time. There is a sanctuary created with old Himalayan Cherries. It's a place where you can relax and have a great peaceful time.

The Botanical Garden opens every day except Sunday. One also cannot visit this garden on the bank holidays. The garden opens at 6.00 in the morning to 5.00pm in the evening. The Botanical Gardens of Darjeeling is located just below the Eden Sanatorium (or the Saheed Durga Mall District Hospital). It is a walking distance from the taxi stand of Chowk Bazaar which is the main market center of Darjeeling at the lower level. You can approach it through the Victoria Road as well.